Bone tissues are a preferred site of breast and prostate cancer metastasis. Bone metastasis occurs in up to 75% of patients with advanced cancers. Currently, there is no cure for metastatic breast cancer and no reliable intervention drug for treating bone metastasis that has minimal side effects.
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a prevalent disease that affects approximately 20% of U.S. adults. This disease causes the degeneration of joints including articular cartilage and subchondral bone. The pathology of OA is characterized by a loss of articular cartilage leading to narrowing of joint space, increased joint friction and potential structure remodeling. Current treatment includes exercise, lifestyle change and analgesics. If symptom becomes severe, joint replacement surgery is normally performed. Thus far, there is no specific pharmaceutical intervention available for the treatment of OA.
Connexin hemichannels play important roles in the cell and tissue function, and abnormal function of connexin hemichannels is known to cause various pathological conditions. Thus, there remains a need for additional therapies for treating pathological conditions associated with hemichannels activity (e.g., inflammation, osteoarthritis, or bone metastasis), as well as methods for identifying such therapies.